


Red

by blackcatbone



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Mystery, Other, desert Keith (Voltron), quasi-platonic relationship, strange weather phenomena
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-04-29 15:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14476053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackcatbone/pseuds/blackcatbone
Summary: Police detectives Coran and Allura are tasked with solving a homicide case, but their prime suspect, Keith Kogane, has vanished. Their investigation turns up four individuals connected to Keith, all of whom have reason to want to protect him. As the detectives question them, some interesting details begin to emerge, suggesting that there may be more connecting them, and the circumstances of Keith's disappearance, than any of them realise.





	1. Orange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I tried to write this story based on the old writing advice of 'show, don't tell'. So instead of getting inside the characters' heads like I usually do, I tried to stick to just describing everything that's seen/heard. So far I've found it extremely challenging, so probably not something I'm gonna attempt again, but hopefully it lends itself to this particular story.
> 
> 2) Thanks to [Rhi](http://thebonepilot.tumblr.com/) for beta reading and giving advice, particularly desperately needed feedback on the whole 'show, don't tell' thing.

A sudden burst of movement caught Coran's eye and he looked up from his computer monitor just in time to see the other cops surrounding the coffee station scatter as Allura approached, like zebras spotting a lion approaching the watering hole. Ignoring them, Allura picked up the nearest mug to hand and poured herself a cup of coffee, the liquid as black as the lenses of the sunglasses she was wearing, and downed it, seemingly in one go. She quickly poured a second cup, then started making her way purposefully across the office towards Coran's desk.

Tufts of hair were coming loose from the long, messy plait hanging down her back, which swung from side to side with each determined step. Coran shifted in his seat, sitting up straighter, his hands stilling over his mouse and keyboard as he calmly watched her approach. Coming to a stop in front of him, Allura planted her feet and wrapped one arm around her waist, raising the mug to her lips. Between it and her sunglasses, pretty much her entire expression was obscured.

Coran smiled brightly, trying to meet her eyes as he greeted her with a cheerful, "Good morning." Allura lowered her mug, and he waited a moment to see if she would respond, before continuing in a slightly more serious tone, "We have a case."

He held out a manila folder and Allura adjusted her grip on the mug before taking it, levering it open with her thumb and examining the contents without saying anything. There was the faintest hint of curiosity in the ever so slight pursing of her lips.

"The uh, crime scene location's a little way outside of town," Coran informed her, quickly tapping a couple of keys on his keyboard to lock his computer, before getting up. "I'll drive."

Allura still said nothing, not looking up from the folder as she fell into step right behind him, following him out of the office.

-

Once she'd finished going through everything in the folder, Allura spent the rest of the drive out to the cabin chin in hand and elbow propped against the window, gazing out at the desert. It wasn't until Coran pulled the car onto the little slip road in front of the property that she turned to him and asked,

"If he lives all alone out here, then who reported the dead body?"

"An anonymous tip, apparently," Coran responded neutrally.

"Huh," Allura huffed humourlessly.

Coran pulled the car up in front of the cabin, facing the red quad bike parked alongside the building. Allura wasted no time, getting out before he'd even unbuckled his seatbelt, and heading straight up the steps onto the wooden porch. She stopped for a moment to cast a look back out at the desert, before taking off her sunglasses and pushing the unlocked door open, ducking inside.

Coran grabbed the folder from where she'd left it on the car seat and followed, unhurried. Stepping into the cabin, his eyes were immediately drawn to the outline marked out on the floor. The body had been removed by the forensics team earlier, but a pool of blood remained, the edge staining the faded brown rug that covered most of the floor. Allura dropped to a crouch next to it, tracing one finger in the air above where the edge of the pool ended in a semi-circular cut-off.

"Is this the same in the photos?" she asked, frowning slightly at the floor. "It's an odd shape, this cookie-cutter clean edge."

Coran tipped the folder open against his arm and flicked through to the photos of the crime scene.

"Yes, it matches. That must've been how Forensics found it." He tilted his head to regard her. "What're you thinking?"

"I don't know." Allura shrugged and stood up. "It's just weird." She folded her arms over her chest, business-like. "So, what do we know about the vic?"

"Not much. ID'd from his wallet as Vitomir Ranveig. Apparently he lived locally in town, with his girlfriend. We haven't been able to contact her yet, but presumably she'll be able to confirm the ID." Coran looked down his nose at the notes in the file. "Cause of death was apparently the multiple stab wounds. The M.E. said from the looks of it he bled out quickly, but the autopsy might give us more details."

"The knife was just left lying next to the body?" Allura asked, surveying the room critically.

"Yes. It's actually a registered weapon, belonging to the cabin's owner, one Keith Kogane."

"And he's gone?" Allura continued without looking up, stepping carefully around the white outline.

"Yes, but..." Coran raised a finger. "The windows are all fixed, and the door was closed and locked from the inside. No sign of forced entry. The bike's still here, the only vehicle he owned as far as we know. No tracks leading away from the property. No signs that he packed anything, either, according to Forensics."

Allura scowled at the desk in the corner by the door. "He just vanished."

"It would appear so," Coran responded thoughtfully. "I think we should take a look around for ourselves, of course. Something might jump out," he added hopefully.

"What's the betting his prints are on the knife?" Allura said matter-of-factly, pulling some gloves out of her jacket pocket and tugging them on. "I mean, it seems pretty obvious that he killed Ranveig. The only question is why?"

"Well, I think I'd like to reserve judgement until after we've spoken to Mr Kogane," Coran said, clapping the folder shut and tucking it under his arm.

Allura fixed him with a look. "You don't think he did it?"

"I think there's rather a lot here that doesn't add up," Coran responded patiently. "Not just Kogane's mysterious disappearance. How did Ranveig get here in the first place, for instance? It may not change the outcome, but I'd quite like to know what exactly we're dealing with before jumping to any conclusions." 

-

"I knew I'd heard that name somewhere," Allura said, leaning forward in her chair and narrowing her eyes at one of the papers on her desk.

"You know him?" Coran asked mildly, peering around the side of his computer monitor.

"I know _of_ him," she responded. "Bit of a local legend, rather like the _other_ cryptid that's been sighted in that desert."

"Maybe we should be talking to the blue lion, then?" Coran said with a chuckle.

Allura gave an amused snort. "Finding it might be easier than tracking down this guy. Seems like he generally keeps to himself, almost always pays in cash, never seems to stay at a job for more than a month. Sounds even more paranoid than Kolivan." 

"Indeed," Coran acknowledged. "I think we _are_ going to have to do this the old fashioned way, and have a word with a few of his 'acquaintances'."

Allura perked up, sitting up in her chair. "You managed to hack his cellphone?"

"Actually, I didn't have to," Coran answered smoothly, reaching for a small leather-bound book sitting on his desk and holding it aloft triumphantly. "It seems that you and our missing suspect have something in common: you're both a bit old school when it comes to keeping records."

Allura frowned at the book, unimpressed. "He kept an address book?"

"He did. Not a lot in it, mind, but I think I know where we might want to start with our inquiries." He placed the address book back on the desk and returned his focus to his screen. "I've only found four entries so far that aren't businesses."

"So he does have _some_ friends," Allura mused. "Or did at some point, at least."

"It appears so," Coran agreed. "And as luck would have it, all four of them are already in the system."

Allura's face immediately fell. "So they're probably not going to want to talk to us, then."

"Ah. I hadn't thought of that." Coran gave a short sigh, tugging lightly on his moustache. "I guess we'll just have to be extra persuasive, won't we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Title and original inspiration come from 'Red' by Taylor Swift. No, really.
> 
> 2) I thought it would be funny to give Warlord Ranveig the name Vitomir, which roughly translates to 'peace lord'.
> 
> 3) If you enjoyed this chapter, please comment! I'd really love to get some feedback on this one and it fuels me to keep writing. Alternatively, you can chat to me on [Tumblr](http://blackcatbone.tumblr.com/).


	2. Grey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"We just want to ask you a few questions, if that's alright," Coran explained. "How do you know Mr Kogane?"_   
>    
>  _Takashi gave a heavy sigh. "I was- I mean, I guess I still am... in love with him."_

Coran tried to smile disarmingly up at the young man as he cautiously entered the interrogation room, flanked by Allura.

"Please-" He gestured to the chair across from where he was sitting. "-take a seat."

The man pulled back the proffered chair and sat, placing his left hand on the table before leaning back. His sleeveless shirt revealed that his right arm had been amputated above the elbow, the cut-off point narrowly missing the bottom of a tattoo stretching across his upper arm by just a couple of inches. A long, pink scar stretched across his nose just below his eyes, which met the detective's with a wary defiance.

Allura moved to stand behind Coran, just off to his right. She folded her arms across her chest and leant lightly against the wall, eyeing the man with ostensive indifference. Coran tapped his tablet, propped up on the table in front of him, to activate the recording of the conversation.

"Could you please state your name?" he asked politely. "Just for the record."

"Takashi Shirogane."

"Thank you. Now, do you recognise this man?" Coran said, sliding a photo across the table.

Still warily watching him, and keeping an eye on Allura behind him, Takashi reached out and drew the picture across the desk towards him. Glancing down at it, he took in a sharp breath.

"Keith."

"Yes?" Coran prompted.

"That's Keith. Keith Kogane," Takashi clarified. He looked from one detective to the other. "What's this about?"

"We just want to ask you a few questions, if that's alright," Coran explained. "How do you know Mr Kogane?"

Takashi gave a heavy sigh. "I was- I mean, I guess I still am... in love with him."

"Ah." Coran raised his eyebrows in interest. "How uh, did you two meet?"

"Online."

"Which website, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Prison penpals dot com." Coran looked up quickly from his tablet to see him smirking. "I was forced to enrol in the programme as part of my rehabilitation. They thought it would be good for me to practice typing and writing with my left hand. Keith responded to my ad."

"And why do you think that was?" Coran asked, looking him in the eye. "Why you?"

Takashi shrugged. "We had things in common: Japanese families, both of us being orphans, a love of fast cars-"

Behind him, Coran heard Allura scoff. Takashi continued to hold his gaze, not rising to the bait.

"So, you were corresponding with him throughout your incarceration?" Coran continued.

"Pretty much, yeah. After we got to know each other a bit, he came to visit me a few times as well. When I got out I didn't have anywhere to go, so he said I could stay with him."

"So you lived together? For how long?"

"The better part of a year."

"And your relationship during that time, was it, ah... romantic in nature?"

"Were you sleeping with him?" Allura demanded impatiently, appearing suddenly beside Coran and planting her hands on the table.

"Well, I certainly wasn't sleeping on the floor," Takashi answered her with an amused grin. "But what does that have to do with anything? We were consenting adults-"

"Why did you leave?" Coran interrupted. "If you were in love with him, why move out?"

Takashi's amusement abruptly faded. "Work," he said simply. "I couldn't drive, wasn't allowed to even if I could, and there aren't any buses that go that far out into the desert. Hard enough for a one-armed ex-con to find work; couldn't afford to be picky."

"But you must've kept in touch?" Coran insisted, frowning critically. Allura drew back, arms crossed defensively once again.

"We did, but... after a while we just kind of petered out, I guess. I couldn't afford a computer or anything like that, and didn't have a whole lot of time to spend writing letters. Then I found out he'd got a boyfriend. I figured it'd be best if I just stayed away. I was only gonna drag him down."

"When was the last time you saw him?" Coran asked gently.

"Well, I spotted him in town a few months back, but we haven't spoken in..." He looked away for a moment. "..in a long time."

"So, you wouldn't have any idea where he is now, then?"

Takashi leant forward, resting his elbow on the table. "None that I figure you don't know about already. That's why I'm here, isn't it? Because you're looking for him?"

"Do you know of anyone he might be staying with? Anyone he would go to for help if he were in trouble?"

Takashi shook his head. "No, he... Keith doesn't really have anyone. He's had to be self-sufficient pretty much his whole life. But you're really asking the wrong person." He glanced quickly at Allura. "Shouldn't you be talking to the boyfriend?"

"I don't suppose you happen to know the name of this boyfriend?" Coran asked calmly.

"No," Takashi responded through lightly gritted teeth. "Like I said, I was trying to steer clear."

"To avoid 'dragging him down'?" Allura cut in. "What, were you afraid he'd get mixed up in something? Or maybe he already was. Maybe you told him something you never told the police, like where the money is-"

"Hey!" Takashi shot back angrily. "I would _never_ involve Keith in something like that. The last thing I'd want is for him to repeat my mistakes. I did my time - even got out early on good behaviour, not that you'd care about that - and I've made damn sure to stay on the right side of the line ever since." He shook his head, leaning back in his chair again. "Besides, who wants a getaway driver with one arm? You must've read my case file. You know damn well I don't know where the money is-"

"So you claim," Allura responded coolly, chin lifted in challenge.

"Fuck you," Takashi said in disgust, pushing back from the table with his one hand and swiftly rising to his feet. "You think I'd be living like I do if I was sitting on that much cash?! You're crazy."

"Then why not just tell the police everything?" Allura continued to press him, undaunted. "What've you got to hide?"

"Look, lady, I don't know what you think that Keith did, but he's a good guy. If he _is_ mixed up in something, you can be damn sure it isn't his fault. Now, I came here without kicking up a fuss. I've cooperated with you, answered your questions. But unless you can give me a damn good reason why two years later you suddenly want to dig up Kerberos, then we're done here."

Allura held his gaze angrily for a few moments longer, before stepping back.

"Thought so." Takashi turned and headed for the door, opening it before Coran could get up to help him, and stepped out, quickly disappearing down the corridor.

"Alright," Coran said firmly as he carefully closed the door behind him. "Are you going to tell me what's going on with you?"

Allura kept her back turned to him, hands on her hips.

"There's nothing going on-"

"Really?" Coran interrupted, incredulous. "You were hungover again this morning. You wear it better than most, but I've known you your whole life, Allura. _I_ notice."

"I just had a late night, that's all."

Coran folded his arms across his chest. "You've been having a lot of those recently. Did something happen? You know you can tell me-"

"Look, it doesn't matter anyway!" Allura insisted, spinning to face him. "Even if he did know where Keith was, he was never going to tell us! He never gave up the names of the rest of the Kerberos crew, no matter how many deals they offered him. Hell, he probably could have walked _free_ , but he chose to go to prison instead just to keep their secret. And you think he's going to give up a man he's _in love with_ to the cops?!"

Coran sighed resignedly, glancing down at the floor. "You're right. It doesn't matter. He doesn't know where Keith is." He pulled back the chair and sat back down at the desk, tapping his tablet screen to open Takashi Shirogane's file. "And maybe none of them will. But I'm hoping that they can at least provide us with a clearer picture of his life and movements. From that we might be able to deduce some clue about where he's gone."

Allura moved around the table and sat down gingerly in the chair opposite him.

"I'm sorry," she began quietly. "It's just, I've been going over some old case files these past few weeks. I thought it might help me, that there might be lessons I could learn from it. But Kerberos... It was never really solved. Yes, they caught this guy, but he was only the getaway driver. And if it weren't for that freak storm, if he hadn't crashed that day, they probably wouldn't have caught him at all! Who knows how many more heists they could have pulled off before they were caught? If they'd have ever been caught?!"

"Yes, well, sometimes we just have to take what we can get," Coran admitted. "A man was convicted and went to prison. Some would say that's justice."

"Tell that to the guy he hit," Allura said bitterly, just as Coran scrolled to the page sporting a picture of Takashi's victim.

"Matthew Holt," he read off the screen.

"It left him with a limp," Allura informed him darkly. "His leg was never the same."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed the chapter, please do comment and let me know what you think, even if it’s just a couple of words. Speculation about what exactly is going on also very welcome! Or come and chat to me on [Tumblr](http://blackcatbone.tumblr.com).


	3. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Lance sighed dramatically, casting his gaze towards the ceiling. "OK, the thing is... he's in love with me."_
> 
> _Allura's eyebrows moved together in a frown. "And do you return these... feelings?" she asked sceptically._

Coran ushered their second interviewee, another young man, into the room. His eyes lit up as soon as he spotted Allura.

" _Hey_ ," he greeted her enthusiastically, sliding into the chair opposite and pulling it up close to the table, leaning across it towards her.

Allura smiled thinly at him in response. Coran took up his partner's position from the previous interview, leaning against the wall behind her, and tapped his tablet to begin recording the exchange.

"Can you state your name please," Allura asked, with just a hint of impatience. "For the record."

"Leandro Alejandro Núñez Cuesta Espinosa," the young man reeled off breezily. "But _you_ can call me _Lance_." He added a grin and a wink at Allura for good measure.

Allura rolled her pen between her fingers, letting out a small breath of annoyance through her nose. She pulled a photo out from beneath her notebook and slid it across the table towards Lance.

"Do you recognise this man?"

"Keith!" he immediately exclaimed, picking up the picture. "Oh man..."

"How do you know him?" Allura continued briskly.

Lance sighed dramatically, casting his gaze towards the ceiling. "OK, the thing is... he's in love with me."

Allura's eyebrows moved together in a frown. "And do you return these... feelings?" she asked sceptically.

"Oh, yeah," Lance assured her. "Yeah, but like, there's only so many times you can watch your date night descend into a screaming match before you gotta accept that it's just not good for either of you." He shook his head sadly.

"So, you two were dating?" Coran prompted.

"Yeah, but I had to end it," Lance said, smiling sadly at Allura. "It hurt him, I know, but a lot less than it would've done if I hadn't. I have to be strong, strong enough for both of us. I know it's only a matter of time before he shows up, begging me to take him back, but I just gotta stay strong."

"You've broken up before?" Allura asked neutrally.

"Yeah, uh..." Lance counted off on his fingers. "This is the fifth time, I think. It's just so hard to say no to him, but I know it's for the best."

Allura spared a quick glance back at Coran, disbelief clear on her face, before returning her focus to Lance.

"How did you two meet?" she asked carefully.

"Heh, it's uh, it's kind of a funny story," Lance said. Allura gave him a brief smile of encouragement to continue. "I was stranded, _way_ out in the desert. There's these caves, see. You know, the ones where a lot of the blue lion sightings have been?" He looked quickly between the two detectives for recognition. None was forthcoming, but he continued anyway: "And the girl I was with, she was _real_ keen to go out there. It's kind of romantic, y'know, and a little spooky; being out there all alone, just the two of you, no-one else around. So I was stranded out there, and I mean, it's a _really_ long walk back to town, so I could've _died_ before I made it back, but then Keith shows up-"

"What happened to the girl?" Coran interrupted.

"Huh?"

"You said you were with a woman?"

"Oh, right." Lance rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly. "She uh... she actually took my car. And my wallet."

Allura scoffed, barely containing a smirk. "She robbed you blind and left you out in the middle of the desert."

"Well, I don't _really_ know for sure," Lance insisted. "It could've been some sort of emergency and she just... didn't have time to explain. I mean, she said she was sorry-"

"Uh-huh," Allura said in sarcastic agreement.

"But-but then Keith came along," Lance continued quickly. "The one person who actually lives _that far out_. He gave me a ride back to town. And it was really late and I was obviously _really_ grateful, so I asked if he wanted to come up and-"

"So your date ditch turned into a late night hookup?" Allura predicted.

"Well, actually, no," Lance pouted. "He turned me down. Said he was fine to drive all the way back to his place, in the dark, on his own, in the middle of the freaking night!" He gestured incredulously at the detectives. "But he did ask for a job."

"A job?" Coran asked, confused.

"He saw the ad in the shop window. I told him it wasn't gonna pay much, but he said he was fine with that."

"So... he started working for you?" Allura asked uncertainly. "Doing what?"

Lance shrugged lightly. "Just cleaning up, mostly, and admin stuff. Making appointments and greeting people when they showed up."

"I'm sorry, what sort of business is it that you run?" Coran asked, already poised ready to check his tablet for the information.

"Hair and beauty," Lance said, shooting Coran a slightly disbelieving look, as though surprised that anyone would not already know that, before he returned his focus to Allura. "Which reminds me, I gotta ask: your hair, is the white natural or...? 'Cause if it's not, then someone did an _incredible_ job. I can't see even a hint of a root anywh-"

"It's natural. Been like that since I was baby," Allura responded tersely. "So you and Keith became involved after he started working for you?"

Lance blinked rapidly, taken aback by her abrupt tone. "No, actually we didn't start dating until after he quit."

"He quit?" Allura echoed. "Why?"

"I really don't know," Lance admitted. "He just up and disappeared on me for, like, a week. Honestly, I was freaking out. I thought maybe he was dead or something. Then he _finally_ shows up, a week later, and tells me he's quitting."

"Just like that? No explanation?" Coran asked, slightly incredulous.

"Just like that," Lanced confirmed, punctuating every word. "So, I asked him out on a date. He said yes."

Allura laughed, humourless, shaking her head.

"So... was he in the habit of disappearing like that?" Coran persisted. "For days at a time?"

"Yeah, kind of. One of his many 'quirks'," Lance said, adding air quotes sarcastically. "You guys have probably already figured this out, but Keith is kind of an oddball. And OK, I know what you're thinking." He raised a hand to forestall further questioning. "What's a guy like me doing with a mulleted, desert-trash weirdo like Keith? But in spite of everything, he just... he has something, y'know? There's just something about him. He drove me _crazy_ , in every sense. Like he has this knife, right? Takes it everywhere with him, like a kid with a stuffed animal. He even insisted on sleeping with it under his pillow-"

"Is this the knife?" Allura asked quickly, tugging another photo free from her notebook and pushing it across the table towards him.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's the one," he confirmed. "One of the Marmorites spotted it while Keith was working in the shop. Turns out his mom was a member and he never even knew!"

"A member of what?" Allura asked. "What's a 'Marmorite'?"

"A member of the Blade of Marmora," Lance explained. "It's what I call 'em."

Allura exchanged a look with Coran. He stepped up to the table, placing his hands on his hips and eyeing Lance seriously.

"I thought the Blade of Marmora were pretty strict about membership being limited to only those with Daibazaalese blood," he said.

"Oh yeah, they are." Lance nodded.

"But I thought Keith was of Japanese descent?" Coran continued. "The name. Kogane is Japanese."

"His father's name, yeah," Lance said. "But Keith's mom was Daibazaalese."

"I see," Coran said, sharing another sideways glance with his partner. "And what's _your_ connection with the group?"

"Well, I kind of have this arrangement with Ulaz. He owns the tattoo shop next-door to us. A lot of the Marmorites tend to hang out there, so I figured if we were gonna be neighbours, might as well say _mi casa es vuestra casa_ , y'know?"

"Hm." Allura scribbled something into her notebook. "And after Keith found out about his connection to them, did they offer to let him join?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, I think they said he qualified, as a legacy. But he never did."

"He _didn't_ join the Blades?" Coran queried, surprised. "Did he tell you why?"

"Nope and _nope_ ," Lance said, shaking his head. "He really didn't wanna talk much about it. He's always kind of sensitive about anything that involves his mom."

Allura drew in a long, deep breath through her nose, thinking.

"Have you had any contact with him since your break up?" she asked finally.

"No, not really. Seen him around town, but-"

"When was the last time you saw him?" Allura interrupted.

"Hm." Lance paused a moment to think. "A couple of weeks back? Maybe three?"

"Do you know of anyone he might be staying with in town?" Allura continued. "Someone that he might go to for help?"

Lance studied her face for a moment, as if it was just beginning to dawn on him who it was he was talking to. He frowned slightly.

"Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"He's missing," Allura answered simply.

"Oh. Well, I wish I could help you out, but like I said, he does have a tendency to do that." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then suddenly perked up. "Hey, you should probably give me your card though, right? So I can call you if I think of something later, or if he tries to contact me?"

Allura restrained herself from sighing at his over-eager expression, pulling a card out from between the pages of her notebook and handing it over.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

"No, thank _you_ for keeping us safe. It's important work and-"

Coran moved around the table, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder and inclining his head toward the door. "Right this way. I'll show you out."

"It was really great to meet you-" Lance continued trying, until Coran was finally able to close the door behind him.

"Ugh!" Allura slouched back in her chair, letting her head fall back. 

"Well, at least he was cooperative," Coran pointed out.

"Yes, but did you actually believe a word of that?" Allura insisted, tilting her head sideways to glare at him critically.

"I do believe there were a few glimmers of truth buried in there," Coran responded, tugging on his moustache thoughtfully. "Though I also got the sense there was rather a lot of embellishment going on too."

"I suppose the Blade of Marmora is a potential lead," Allura admitted. "This could have been gang-related. He said Keith wasn't a member, but that could've changed since they broke up. Or Keith might've simply kept it from him?"

"It's certainly a possibility," Coran agreed. "Their relationship did sound a bit... unstable."

Allura sat up slowly, peering down at the table to study the notes she'd written.

"What did he do anyway? To get onto the system?"

"Who, Lance? I think it was arson." Coran pulled his tablet out from where he'd tucked it under his arm, flicking through to find the file. "Yes. He confessed to deliberate vandalism of a rival business, but claimed that the fire was an accident, that the prank just got a bit out of hand."

He handed Allura the tablet and her frown deepened as she read the report.

"Seems like he's happy to snuggle up to the law when it suits him and quick to ignore it when it doesn't," she said disdainfully. "There's a possibility that he could be harbouring Keith. Or that he might do now, if he contacts him."

"Yes, I concur. I didn't get the impression that he was involved at the moment, but that could easily change. I guess it rather depends on how keen he is to impress you."

He smiled, but Allura only continued to pout sourly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Lance's full name recommended by [actuallylotor on Tumblr](https://actuallylotor.tumblr.com/post/155794357338/frequently-asked-questions-this-is-by-no-means-a)
> 
> 2) For purposes of this story, Daibazaal (the Galra home planet in VLD) is a small fictional country in Asia, probably located somewhere along the border between Russia and Mongolia.
> 
> 3) If you're enjoying reading this please comment! It gives me life. :) Also feel free to come chat to me about it on [Tumblr](http://blackcatbone.tumblr.com/).


	4. Yellow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Hunk sat up and reached forward to retrieve the photo. "Oh, hey, that's Keith." He smiled fondly as he held the photo up to study it. Then abruptly his face fell. "Wait, what did you say this was about?" He looked between the two detectives, a wave of concern washing over his expression. "Is Keith OK?" His voice began to rise in panic. "Is he hurt?" His eyes grew wide, tears starting to form. "Oh god, is he d-"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to [radiofreekerberos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiofreekerberos/pseuds/radiofreekerberos) for beta-ing this chapter!

Coran looked up from his tablet to see Allura smiling as she guided their next guest into the interrogation room. The young man returned the warm expression, pointing at the empty chair around the other side of the table and then, at Allura's affirming nod, made his way over and took a seat across from Coran. Allura carefully shut the door behind her before taking up position once again leaning against the back wall to Coran's right.

"Hi," the young man met Coran's eyes cautiously.

Coran inclined his head in greeting before getting straight to it: "As I'm sure my partner has already explained, we'd just like to ask you a few questions." He offered a reassuring smile. "Hopefully it won't take long."

"Sure. OK." The young man shifted in his seat, clasping his hands together on the table in front of him. 

"Could you please state your name, for the record."

"Uh... is there like a mic I should be speaking into? No? OK. Um. It's Hunk Tanielu. Is me. And yeah, Hunk is my real name, I promise. You can blame my folks for that one." He chuckled nervously.

"It's alright," Allura cut in gently. "We do know your name from your record. This is just a formality."

"Right, of course. Of course you do." Hunk smiled weakly, dropping his hands to rest on his thighs and leaning back in his chair.

"Do you recognise the person in this photo?" Coran asked, pushing the picture across the table.

Hunk sat up and reached forward to retrieve the photo. "Oh, hey, that's Keith." He smiled fondly as he held the photo up to study it. Then abruptly his face fell. "Wait, what did you say this was about?" He looked between the two detectives, a wave of concern washing over his expression. "Is Keith OK?" His voice began to rise in panic. "Is he hurt?" His eyes grew wide, tears starting to form. "Oh god, is he d-"

"There's no evidence that he's been harmed," Coran quickly and diplomatically cut him off.

"Oh!" Hunk let out a relieved sigh. "Sorry, it's just, with you being cops an' all, I was worried that... Yeah." He smiled sheepishly, swiping discreetly with one finger at a tear in the corner of his eye.

"How is it that you know Mr Kogane?" Coran asked gently.

"Oh... uh, well it's kind of... I mean, we uh..." Hunk clutched the photo tightly, his gaze dropping to the table.

"How would you describe your relationship?" Coran prompted.

"Well... I guess you'd probably call it a one-night stand? Except it was more than one. So more of a multiple-night stand? And sometimes not at night." He laughed nervously. "Which is like- I mean, I don't usually do that sort of thing." He quickly held up his hands, placating. "Not that there's anything wrong with that! I just don't want you to get the wrong impression, 'cause I mean, there was a storm and his bike broke down and-"

"Alright, why don't we just take a breath?" Coran suggested, holding up a hand to interrupt. "Let's just start at the beginning. How did you two meet?"

Hunk took the recommended breath before answering, this time a little more slowly: "I was just driving home and I saw him, like at the side of the road. His bike had broken down, so I offered to give him a ride, take the bike back to my place and see if I could fix it. And I could've, except it turned out I didn't have the part at home, and then the storm started rolling in. So I said he should stay until it passed."

"And he ended up staying the night?"

"Yeah. By the time the storm was over it was pretty late, so it uh, it made sense."

"But that _wasn't_ the start of a steady relationship?" Coran clarified. "Despite the two of you having been, ah... intimate?"

"Heh, no, well, the thing is he'd just been through a pretty bad breakup and he didn't really wanna get into anything serious. Which, I mean, that's fair. But he said he could use a friend. I mean, we'd just found out we were neighbours, and there's not a lot of folks live out there in the desert, so it was nice, y'know, to have someone..."

"I'm sure." Coran smiled warmly. "So things developed from there? You became friends?"

"Yeah." Hunk returned the smile. "He'd come over whenever he wanted to talk or to drop off some new data. Sometimes he just wanted to sit and watch me work. Like, he just wanted to be around people for a while, y'know?"

"Sorry, you mentioned 'new data' just then?" Allura interrupted. "Data from what?"

Hunk blinked in surprise. "Oh, uh, I loaned him some monitoring equipment, in exchange for him sharing any data that he gathered with me."

Allura exchanged a frown with Coran.

"Monitoring what?" he asked.

"The... weather?" Hunk frowned in confusion at them both.

"I see. So, was any of this equipment expensive?" Coran asked. "Something someone might want to steal?"

Hunk shrugged. "Unlikely. I mean, yeah, some of it _is_ expensive. But you'd have to know what you were looking at to know that, in the first place, and I imagine it'd be pretty hard to sell unless you had a specific buyer lined up or something. I doubt anyone would bother unless they knew what it was."

"But you trusted Keith with it?" Allura pressed.

"Yeah, because he knew what he was doing, y'know? On account of his parents."

"They were scientists?" Coran ventured.

"Researchers, yeah," Hunk confirmed with a nod. "That's how they met, and how they ended up buying the cabin. It was originally a research outpost, and Keith's mom and dad were both stationed out there. After the funding for the project fell through, they bought the cabin cheaply when the company sold it off. Keith was actually born in that cabin, did you know that?"

"I ah-" Coran cast a glance back at Allura. "-was not aware of that, no."

"So, was the arrangement that Keith worked for you, then? Collecting data?" Allura said, steering the conversation back to the man in question.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. It's more like a hobby for Keith," Hunk explained. "I'm a professional."

"A professional what, exactly?" Coran inquired gently.

"Storm chaser," Hunk blurted with a nervous laugh. "Only, y'know, without the chasing part. Or actually having to go out in any storms. Because they can get pretty scary, heh." He glanced anxiously from one detective to the other. "That's why I'm here, because the storms here are different."

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean," Coran said. "Different how?"

"Well, like..." Hunk licked his lips, shifting in his seat. "Normal storms _develop_ , like they grow and they move, right? But around here it's more like... like with an earthquake, where you've got an epicentre and then shock waves radiating out from it."

Coran tugged thoughtfully on his moustache. "But storms do usually have an 'eye', though, don't they? Is that what you mean by 'epicentre'?"

Hunk shook his head, leaning forward to press his fingertips against the tabletop. "No, I mean the storm just appears in a particular spot and then it expands."

"Like a tornado?" Allura suggested, stepping forward. "It drops from the sky?"

"No..." Hunk slumped back in his seat again, dragging his fingers roughly through his hair. "I mean, obviously the research is ongoing. But based on the data I've gathered so far, storms 'round here just don't behave like you'd expect at all."

"How strange," Coran said. "I must say, I've never heard anything about this before."

"Yeah, well, I guess it's not widely publicised?" Hunk said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Because the findings so far have all been inconclusive, it tends to get dismissed by a lot of people. But I was raised by storm chasers and I know storms. Something really weird is going on here and I, for one, am real keen to find out why."

"Well, it's good that you're not letting your fear stifle your curiosity," Coran commended.

"It's not fear," Hunk quickly corrected. "It's respect. You just gotta have respect for something that powerful."

"And did Keith share that respect?" Allura cut in gently.

"Honestly, Keith's the kind of guy who tends to run towards danger instead of away from it," Hunk admitted. "He'd probably fight a tornado if he thought it deserved it."

Allura smirked at that and Hunk offered a fond smile in return.

"Is it possible that he might've gotten caught in a storm out there?" Coran continued.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure, it's possible. I mean, if he saw someone in trouble out there, he might've gone to help them."

"Hm. And what about the cabin? Based on the data that you've collected so far, would you say it's in a location where it might get caught up in one of these ah, 'earthquake storms'?"

Hunk hesitated, his gaze dropping quickly to the table before flicking back up to Coran. "No."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

There was silence for a moment. Hunk picked at some invisible speck of something on his trouser leg. Coran levelled a meaningful look at Allura.

"We've heard that Keith was prone to disappearing for a few days at a time," she said. "Have you noticed anything like that since you've known him?"

"I... I wouldn't know. I mean I only see him sometimes. I usually check for signs of life when I pass by his place, but if he's not there I just assume that he's staying in town with the boyfriend or he's gone out to the caves or something."

"The caves where the blue lion sightings have been?" Allura queried.

"Yeah, that's the ones. He likes to go out there and just chill sometimes. It's pretty quiet most of the time."

"Do you know if Keith had any enemies?" Coran asked. "Anyone who might have a bone to pick with him?"

"No. No, nothing like that." Hunk shook his head. "Look, I know he can come off as kind of... rough around the edges, but Keith's a good guy. He just wants to be left alone is all. People like him, like me, we keep to ourselves and don't cause any trouble."

"Except you don't always succeed, do you?" Coran said. Hunk looked up sharply, suddenly worried. Coran gave his tablet screen a couple of taps. "According to your record here, you punched a man in the face. Knocked him clean out."

"To save his life!" Hunk insisted. "I told him, 'buddy, if you're still out here in five minutes, that storm is gonna flatten you', but he refused to get in the storm cellar. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Leave him to die? And then he decides to go and press charges, saying I assaulted him?! You're welcome, _asshole_."

He folded his arms defensively across his chest, glaring angrily down at the tabletop. But the sullen expression abruptly morphed into one of misery as his stomach gave a very loud and pointed rumble.

"Uh, do you guys have a lot more questions for me?" he asked quietly, looking up surreptitiously at the two detectives.

"No, I think we've probably got all we need for now," Allura said gently, stepping around the table. "I'll show you out. We'll get in touch with you again if we need any more information."

"Oh, OK. Thanks." Hunk smiled gratefully at her as he rose from his seat. "Good luck with your uh, your investigation," he added as Allura guided him out of the door. Once he was safely on his way, she pushed it shut.

"Well," Coran said, tapping his tablet to end the recording.

"Well," Allura repeated, conclusively.

"Quite an interesting chap. What d'you make of him?"

Allura shook her head, pacing slowly. "He seemed happy to talk at first, but he suddenly got cagey when you suggested that Keith's cabin might be located in a storm zone. It just... it doesn't make sense. Why would he lie about that one little detail? He'd already freely admitted that there was a possibility Keith himself could've been caught in a storm, so what difference does the cabin make?"

"Yes, I agree that was rather odd. It seems there's quite a bit more to Keith Kogane than meets the eye, but still nothing that really helps us locate him."

"For someone who's clearly not a 'people person', he certainly does seem to get around," Allura commented snidely.

"Well, that's not a crime," Coran responded. "At least that part of the story matches up. It seems like this Hunk was filling in the gaps during the frequent breakups with Lance."

"He also demonstrated considerably more concern for his well-being," Allura added. "I've no doubt he'd be willing to break the law in order to protect him."

"Yes, I'm quite sure that everyone we've talked to so far would be willing to harbour Keith, but I'm not convinced that _he_ would go to them for help. We still don't know what the situation with Ranveig actually was. It may not be us that Keith's hiding from, or he may not be hiding at all. If these desert storms are as bad as Hunk was making out, Keith could be stranded out there and no-one would be any the wiser."

Allura sighed, folding her arms over her chest. "Could Ranveig's presence be connected to the Blade of Marmora somehow? Or Keith's family? I think we can rule out theft of weather-monitoring equipment as a motive; Ranveig doesn't seem the type for an operation like that."

"All possibilities," Coran acknowledged, "but we have no way of confirming or ruling out any of them."

"So... we basically have nothing," Allura stated sourly.

"I wouldn't say that," Coran reassured her. "We've gathered quite a bit of info. All we need now is that one key piece to help us make sense of it all. Plus, we've still got one more person to interview."

Allura sighed tiredly. "Let's get on with it, then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this chapter, please comment and let me know! If you have any theories as to what's going on, I'd love to hear them. All comments are appreciated, no matter how brief. Or you can always come and chat to me on [Tumblr](http://blackcatbone.tumblr.com/).


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